Published in the Delaware County Daily Times                          February 15, 2019

By Joseph Batory

George Orwell wrote his best-selling novel, 1984, about 70 years ago.   This book was way ahead of its time. It created a terrifying picture of a dystopian era with a political party’s Big Brother dominating a nation’s citizenry by propagandizing that truth is fiction, that observed reality is fantasy, that documented news reports are fake, and scientific evidence is to be ignored. Sounds familiar here in 2019.

One prime Orwellian assertion from the White House these days emphasizes that climate change is a hoax.

So now we must reject the latest scientific report from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and NASA, which documents that last year was the fourth-hottest year ever recorded, which means that the past five years have been the five warmest years in the modern record. 

This Orwellian mandate has dictated that we should ignore the USA Global Change Research Program, a team of 13 federal agencies, which recently released the 4^th National Climate Change Assessment with the help 300 world-class scientists.  Orwellian “truth” tells us to reject that report’s key finding— that the “long term” global average temperature is much higher and rising more rapidly than anything modern civilization has experienced.

This new Orwellian wisdom emphasizes that we must reject the enormous scientific evidence that the continued fossil fuel emissions are leading to climate-related disasters that include high-intensity hurricanes, floods, droughts, extreme precipitation, forest fires, and heat waves.  We should also ignore the scientific warning that farmers will face extremely tough times in the future because of extreme heat and excessively wet conditions.  Therefore, contrary to abundant scientific evidence, Orwellian revisionism has told us that it is no longer true that the quality and quantity of agricultural crops and dairy production will be hampered by higher temperatures, drought or flooding in the years ahead.

This Orwellian philosophy has also emphasized that it is not true that climate change is producing increased dangers to life and property. It is “fake news” that hurricanes are continuing to be more frequent and destructive as warmer ocean waters feed more energy to the storms and warmer air also carries more moisture for devastating rainfalls, with more flooding not only along shorelines due to rising sea levels but with inland flooding as well.

Orwellian mind-control demands that we now reject all of the evidence from the definitive scientific studies below:

• The United States is the second largest contributor to CO₂ in our atmosphere, though it is home to just 4.4 percent of the world’s population.
• Average sea level is expected to rise 1 to 6 feet before the end of this century.
• In 1910 Glacier National Park was home to more an estimated 150 glaciers. That number is now 26 and this national park is expected to eventually lose all its glaciers.
• The current pace of global average temperature rise puts approximately half of all plants and animals at risk of extinction.
• Rain forest destruction is continuing to contribute to climate change by releasing large amounts of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.
• The world’s coral reefs are in the midst of a global mass die off. In the last 30 years, the world has lost half of its coral reefs. Scientists are predicting nearly half of these reefs (more than 4,600 square miles) could disappear forever.

Orwellian directives from government have recently ordered the USA Centers for Disease Control to stop using words like “evidence-based” and science-based.” Empirical evidence must always be rejected.

Dramatically weakening the planned automobile fuel emission standards for the future is another product of America’s new Orwellian mind-set.  We must now ignore the warnings that there are environmental hazards for America’s citizens by rolling back these fuel emissions regulations. Likewise, the economic studies showing that by 2025 these clean air standards would actually have created more than 100,000 jobs, added more than $130 billion to the gross national product, and saved consumers more than $40 billion in annual fuel costs are also false. Those EPA vehicle emission standards set for 2025 have now been redefined as worthless even though Bill Ford, chairman of Ford Motor Co., was a supporter of increasing these clean air standards through 2025.

Orwellian dictates have unraveled the federal restrictions on greenhouse-gas emissions and toxic waste discharge from coal-fired power plants and redefined these emissions and toxic problems as a good thing. In addition, getting rid of an EPA ban on a commonly used pesticide linked to potential neurological brain damage in fetuses was another “terrific” Orwellian change.

After all, science is now worthless. That is why Orwellian mandates have removed posted scientific information from many federal agency websites. Firing accredited scientists from the Science Advisory Board and replacing them with industry insiders is another a good way to curtail those “unnecessary” environmental protection laws. And putting unqualified officials into governmental leadership positions will better serve out citizenry.

****Indeed, life in the USA these days is reminiscent of the Orwellian era depicted by George Orwell in his novel, 1984. Orwellian control of the people involves a consistent policy of hypocrisy, totalitarian control by propaganda, deception, misinformation, manipulation by power, and denial of truth (doublethink). Orwellian philosophy is designed to destroy our free and open society and embed power in the hands of the few for their own purposes rather serving the common good of citizens.

 However, the new Orwellian dogma cannot change the research that an environmental disaster is in the making. Climate change is creating a scientifically-documented clear and present danger, which will jeopardize present and future generations here in the USA and abroad. 

The current dystopian Orwellian refutation of massive amounts of scientific evidence is threatening the people of our nation and our world.